Future
by KaliturnedSaviour
Summary: The third installment of the Progeny series follows the siblings Ian Bereft and Lily Blithe as they team up with Skulduggery once again, this time to find their father's killer. In doing so the group stumbles over a shocking secret which could change the world. Sequel to Past and Present and Say Goodbye. Rated K for some very mild imagery.
1. Chapter 1

So this begins the third installment of the Progeny series. Still following Ian, Lily, and Skulduggery.

Again, much like Jon Snow, I own nothing

(or at least not this)

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**Three years later**

The crowd at the Louvre was immense. It always was at that time of year. Tourists, students, and art aficionados crowded around oohing and aahing at the masterpieces. Ian was unimpressed. He _was _able to appreciate art but he couldn't not here and not now.

From across the room an old man in a navy suit made eye contact, he nodded slightly and looked away. Ian searched the crowds, finding his little sister Lily staring at a painting. She blinked at him with mismatched eyes, nodded and looked away. A younger man in a navy suit identical to that of the older man navigated his way to the center of the crowd. He shut his eyes, his hands spread around him. Suddenly the chatter in the crowd froze, some in mid-step, others in mid-sentence.

Lily reached up and placed a hand on the painting that she had been viewing. She and the painting disappeared. She reappeared, and then vanished with the painting next to the other. Ian approached the men in identical suits. "Monsieur Nuit, my sister is transporting the paintings to the indicated warehouse."

The older man spoke with a deep French accent. "And I suppose you want payment."

He drew an envelope from a pocket in his suit. His eyes widened as Lily appeared behind Ian with a soft whoomph. Ian turned, finding Skulduggery pleasant standing beside his handcuffed sister. The shadows in the room spiked angrily but Skulduggery shoved her behind himself and drew his gun from a holster.

"Monsieur Nuit, you are under arrest."

The old man wheezed, dropping the envelope. His associate took off running; he was ignored. Ian snatched up the envelope before it hit the floor.

"You?" Nuit gasped. "I will not be foiled by the likes of you!"

His eyes bulged from their sockets. He grasped his chest as though he would keel over.

"Ian, please take your sister and get behind me." Ian cautiously stepped away from the panicking old man, placing his hand securely on his sister's shoulder.

As the trio watch, Nuit's eyes bulged inhumanly from his face, his mouth opened to reveal small, jagged teeth.

"Chimera." Skulduggery sighed. "I hate those."

The man's face cracked, jutting into a muzzle. A tail emerged from behind his back. His body twisted inhumanly. Skulduggery braced a leg behind him, placed his hands against the air and snapped his palms. A block of air smashed into the creature, taking it backwards off its feet. It rolled disjointedly to its feet and growled. Ian thought he could just make out words.

"You want to stop me but I am a stronger creature than you."

"I don't know about 'stronger'." Skulduggery replied. "Are you referring to your odor? Being a man-eagle-lion is a rather pungent business but your English is clearly far worse."

The muscles of the creature's legs bunched and Ian whipped around, grabbing Lily and bringing her down, shielding her with his body. The Chimera launched itself through the crowd of frozen people who fell stiffly. It struck the group, sending them sprawling. Skulduggery grabbed a hold of its thick coat and flipped it over his hip straight to the floor. The monster snarled and rolled, came back up and met Skulduggery as he tried to manipulate the air. It crashed into him and the two continued to roll, trading blows. The frozen crowd watched with bland expressions.

Ian turned to Lily. From the way her eyes were narrowed he could tell she was itching to teleport. She held out her power binding shackles to him. He took a sliver of shadow, sent it past the magic of the symbol and wrenched the mechanism sideways. The shackles fell away.

"You're under arrest." Skulduggery was standing, holding a pistol pointed at them. The Chimera lie still behind him. Ian stepped in front of his sister.

"We haven't done anything wrong."

"You just aided a notorious criminal. Kids these days…"

"Skulduggery, we're not the enemy."

"We can make a deal. A favor in exchange for amnesty." As Skulduggery spoke, the Chimera shook its head, getting to its feet. It's dazed eyes turned toward Skulduggery.

"You're not going to arrest us." Skulduggery began to speak but the Chimera leapt at him again. Ian wrapped it in shadow, and sent it plowing into Skulduggery. The two struck several paintings and crashed to the floor.

Ian turned to Lily but the air between them was solid. Her eyes were wide with the desire to escape. Skulduggery shoved the man-eagle-lion off of himself, brushed himself off, and stood.

"Now, how about that deal?"

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Yep. You know the deal. If you like review and such and such...

Side note: Does anyone ever wonder what's going to happen with Hansard and Valkyrie? I feel like if that isn't resolved in tDotL, I might have a problem.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: ...I don't even go here.

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A man with wavy auburn hair and waxy skin sat in a French café with two dour looking teens.

"So, as a kind spirit, I tend to be a bit lenient with criminals of such a young age. If you join me on a case, maybe I'll consider letting your criminal pasts slide."

Lily glared at him over a ridiculously sugar laden pastry. Ian, looking equally hostile, sighed before replying.

"Why should we make a deal with you? The minute you leave us alone we're just going to teleport."

"Who said I'd let you out of my sight?" Skulduggery replied. His voice softened and he leaned in slightly. "I know teleporters and I know children. You're probably living in a hotel, if you can, maybe an empty apartment. You grab whatever food you can and sleep whenever you can."

Lily stopped eating and Skulduggery continued.

"Do you have running water? Dependable electricity? You have to move as soon as someone discovers you. Is that why you do jobs like this? I can give you stability. I can give you food and shelter. Living like this-"

"Why should we make a deal with the man who killed our mother?" The skeleton jerked back as if she had struck him. Lily's blue and brown eyes trained on Skulduggery with seriousness uncharacteristic of her age.

"I'm sorry…" He said, his eyes staring sadly back.

"We'll do it." Ian said, surprising the two. "We'll help with the case, use your shower, eat all of the food we can and leave. We degenerates can't associate with those such as yourself-"

"I didn't mean it like that, Ian."

"-but don't call me a child and never question how well I take care of my sister."

"You are just like her." Skulduggery whispered and everyone knew to whom he was referring. Ian crossed his arms and glared across the table. Skulduggery shook his head and pushed a file across the table to Ian.

"I'm going to be investigating what is called a cold case." Skulduggery moved past Ian's silence. "I'm going to find out who killed the teleporter Fletcher Renn."

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Travelling to Ireland was an almost religious experience for the ten- and fourteen- year olds. The country was beautiful from afar-coast lines and villages dotted with thriving cities-but the very fact of their presence in their mother's home country had them in awe of everything. The two had never actually _been_ to Ireland, but spoke with an Irish accent tinged with the Russian drawl of their own home country. Their mother had always spoken of her home with the greatest reverence.

They had grown up speaking English but their mother soon had to teach them Russian so they could go to school in the little town near their remote dwelling. The seclusion hadn't made them any less worldly, however, as what the school didn't teach them their parents did.

Their mother had had weak magic, but she could fight like fire. She was an elemental but-much to the chagrin of his parents- Ian had chosen Necromancy and was proficient in death magic before he could walk. Lily had taken after their father as a natural teleporter.

Lily made an oddly surprised noise as the skeleton turned in to fast food queue.

"Ooh! I'm getting a milkshake!" She squealed.

Ian frowned. "You need food, not sugar."

"I need both." Lily replied. "I want a number three."

Skulduggery turned, questioning, "Do you even know what a number three _is_?"

"No, but I know I'm going to get a milkshake with it."

The pair ordered and received their food, eating while Skulduggery fussed over the cleanliness of his beloved vehicle.

* * *

Later, the siblings holed up in one of the several living rooms in Skulduggery's vast house. Lily stretched herself over a ratty pullout couch. Ian blinked at her sleepily from a pile of blankets on the floor.

"Do you really think he'll find who killed Dad?"

"I don't know," Ian said. "but I don't think we should trust him that much."

"I at least get to use his microwave."

"Why the microwave?" Ian asked. He bunched the blankets together and sprawled over them again.

"Because it makes a cool noise." Ian swatted at her as she made a low humming noise. Their laughter died as they settled down.

"You know, Lily…" Ian started, unsure.

"Mmm?" Lily mumbled.

"If he does find them, the killer… it won't bring Dad back."

Lily slid her blanket down off of her eyes.

"I know," She said quietly. "but we deserve justice, you and me, even Mom and Dad."

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Soo... yeah. I'm so excited for this fic. Also thanks to a guest for reviewing and don't worry I still have some tricks up my sleeves.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership. So, like, yeah.

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Ian rubbed blurry eyes to see the skeleton standing above him. His jaw moved and his head tilted to the right.

"Whaa?" Ian mumbled.

"I said 'Come remove your sister from my kitchen.'"

Ian sat up, rubbing his stiff back. He stumbled down a hallway into what he assumed was the skeleton's 'kitchen'. The only thing that suggested the room's correlation to a kitchen was an old, long unused microwave and a bowl. Lily was sitting, cross-legged, on one of the couches, happily spooning something from a bowl into her mouth.

"Where'd you get food?" Ian questioned.

"A supermarket in America."

Ian picked up the box, dumping dry cereal into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully.

"So how do we get started on this investigation?" He said turning to Skulduggery.

"Shouldn't you two get showered before we start out?" Ian gave him a blank look.

The skeleton gestured behind himself. "I refuse to converse with dirty ruffians. Sanitize yourselves."

To Ian's surprise, among the skeleton's many living rooms was a fully functional and fully equipped bathroom. It was filled with fruity shampoos, conditioners and lotions that made Lily catatonic with delight.

After gratefully using up all available hot water and pocketing a few packages of soap, the two emerged to an impatient seeming skeleton.

"So, are you ready to meet the head of Ireland's finest doomsday clan?"

* * *

Terrence Strange was cold, tired and tied to a chair; a normal day for a member of a doomsday clan.

"So you really have no idea who would want to kill the last of the teleporters?"

Strange's nose twitched, he looked supremely unimpressed.

"Listen, man, I don't even know who he is. No one tells me anything. I'm hoping for the apocalypse just as much as the next guy, but guess what they have me doing? I'm over here washin' dishes!Why do we have dishes, like? Who's even eating?"

"So you're a low level member?" Skulduggery said.

"No, he's not." Ian interjected. "When we kidnapped him he didn't run, didn't panic. He's assured. He thinks someone's going to come for him."

Skulduggery tilted his head. "You're absolutely right, Ian, and what's more is that he knows who your father is and who killed him. After all the last teleporter could be female."

Terrence clicked his tongue. "Kid's a smart one. I've got to keep my eye on him. So, yeah, maybe I'm in charge of some people who are charge of some people, but, hey, we all want the same thing, eh? Death, destruction, that whole beggared belief."

"So, who'd you send?" You're of high standing. You didn't do it yourself."

"For that particular mission, we outsourced. Used a little nasty group called the Harasho. Russian assassins. Real funny guys."

"Why?" Ian asked. "Why kill him?"

Strange laughed like helium escaping a ballon. "Kill the guy who's shacked up with the World Destroyer? You realize we're, like, a doomsday group, yeah?"

Ian's nostrils flared. "You had him killed so that she would destroy the world?"

"Pretty much." Strange shrugged. "Didn't work very well, she only leveled a few cities."

"Who did the actual job?" Skulduggery questioned.

Another shrug. "Some agent for the Russians."

"We need a name, Terrence."

"I don't know. All I was told was that he was grabbed off the street, and someone opened his throat for him."

Lily gasped behind Ian and his anger flared. A sharp shadow pressed against Strange's stubble marked neck.

"Who did the job? Give us a name because I know you have one."

"Are you like her? 'Cause you look like you might slice me right now." An odd light came into Strange's eyes. "You could be on our radar soon too."

Ian withdrew the shadow, horrified. "I wouldn't destroy the world. I may practice death magic but I'm not _evil_."

"Good thing I am, then." Skulduggery took out his gun and pressed it against the man's forehead.

"You know, I may be hoping for the destruction of the world but you all are crazy." Skulduggery grunted, unimpressed. "Okay, okay, I want to actually die when everyone else does. It was a guy named Krokus Kovalensky. He's a slick git, I warn ya."

"I believe we'll try our hand." Skulduggery said, withdrawing the gun. Almost as an afterthought, his hand shot out, smashing the gun against Strange's forehead. He slumped in the chair.

"What do we do with an unconscious doomsday leader?" Lily asked.

"Well, what else are dumpsters for?" Skulduggery questioned.


	4. Chapter 4

Yo. School starts for me in like a week. My life is going to become chaos so I thought I'd send out one message before I am consumed by college apps, school work and general inundation.

**Disclaimer: Seriously, I don't own this.**

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Rural Russia was just as Ian remembered it: cold, so very cold. As soon as they stepped off of the plane, Lily had teleported reappearing with a fur coat. Someone somewhere was not going to be happy. Ian turned as Skulduggery called his name.

"Krokus lays low pretty well. Keeps under the radar. But word is he would never leave Mother Russia. He knew the area enough to know what nearby town your father would teleport to. It only follows that he'd be a local."

"So why are we in town? If he's a hermit, he'd never come out here."

"Oh he's a hermit all right. Ultimately so." Skulduggery narrated as he led the two away from the shops past the people who were bundled up and suspicious of the English speaking foreigners.

Skulduggery led the two down an alley. A man in raggedy clothes eyed them suspiciously but grinned when Skulduggery slipped him a ruble. He walked on, coming to a stop in front of a section of grimy wall. It was the only section not layered in graffiti."

"You see hermits are never really satisfied with seclusion. After all, you have to experience the crowds to have contempt for them." He explained, explained punching the wall hard.

A whole section of the wall came away, making strange gasping noises. It fell to the floor, then scrambled up to run. Skulduggery gave it a kick and the shape of a man formed as bricks and mortar fell away. Skulduggery hauled the man up by the scruff of his neck and threw him against the wall.

"May I introduce you to Krokus Kovalensky?"

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"Friend!" The weasel-like man squealed. "Brother Mage! Why do you come to my neck of the woods?"

His beady eyes darted around in a dirty, craggy face. His eyes stopped on Ian's face and froze.

"You killed his father, Krokus. Can you see the likeness? I bet you know what happens next?"

He gave a greasy smile the darted for the opening of the alleyway. Ian brought a shadow down on his bent back and the man gave a shriek as he fell. Ian pinned him with a shadow stood over him.

"How'd you do it? Who told you how to find us?"

"A woman, young friend." Krokus panted. "She came looking for information I followed her and she led me to your house I caught your father on his way into town. He was unsuspecting and his death was quick. I had a job to do. Only orders: a man who needs must."

"Who was she? Give me her name."

"Valkyrie Cain."

Skulduggery made a choking noise and Ian stepped forward to knock his knuckles against the older man's chin.

"You're lying."

"I have not lied, brother. I am telling you the truth. We are of one kind are we not?" He turned to appeal to Skulduggery who was approaching seemingly in thought. "Please, fellows, spare an earnest servant!"

"Why do you assume I'm here to kill you? Why does everyone always assume that about me?" Skulduggery mumbled.

Krokus got to his hands and knees. "So you aren't here to harm an old man?"

"Of course not, we're here to kill you."

Skulduggery pulled his gun and pointed it at Kovalensky. The group was silent; behind them the hobo scrambled away. Almost as an afterthought, Skulduggery turned to Ian.

"Take your sister and go somewhere."

"What are you going to do? Don't we need more information from him or something?"

Skulduggery tilted his head. "This case is about to be solved. Justice is about to be served. This man killed your father; is this what you want?"

"I-I don't know."

Ian turned. Lily looked up at him with wide, tearful eyes. Minutely, she shook her head.

"No, not this. We have to get some information from him or-or something. We can't just…we can't just do this."

Skulduggery nodded, slipping his gun back into the holster. "Your parents would be proud."

Krokus seemed to notice he had been given a reprieve. He scrambled up and bowed at the waist.

"Thank you, friends, many thanks. Tell all you know that Krokus is your friend, tell them-" Kovalensky cut off, scuttling away. Ian's fingers twitched and hamstrung the old man. He fell, shrieking and cursing from the pain.

Ian strode to him slowly. "Our parents wouldn't want us to have a hand in taking your life, but pain is a just reward. Not being able to walk is a just reward. It's what you deserve for destroying our family."

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I don't usually do this but if you liked it then you should put a review on it. Especially if you're a single lady.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, guys. This fic is coming to an end. I have a sequel in mind but I don't think many of you are following this. I don't want to be an attention grabber but if you do want a sequel you should probably review. Also, I'm applying to Cornell University in America. Is anyone else doing so? If so holla at me! I'm so excited.

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"Do you think Kovalensky was lying about who gave him information?" Ian asked.

Ian had been sure that their agreement had been over but Skulduggery had insisted that they needed to follow this lead.

Skulduggery looked up from an old book slowly.

"He seemed in earnest. When you questioned him about your father he didn't hesitate or deny his crime. Why give false information with truth?"

The idea that his own mother had accidentally drawn a murderer to their family filled Ian with a sort of impotent rage. He decided to change the subject.

"How did you know my father?" Ian asked. He was tired from their flight back to Ireland but his mind was whirring with plans for shelter and food after this investigation, questions about their lead, and persistent, grotesque images of his father's throat splitting under Kovalensky's blade.

"He helped myself and your mother solve a couple of investigations. He saved lives, even the world, a couple of times."

"I miss them, you know. I don't... I want Lily to be happy, but I know she misses them too."

The skeleton looked at him, bowed his head. "My parents are long dead. My whole family, dead for hundreds of years."

"So you don't miss them anymore?"

"I try not to miss so much as remember. I remember being happy with them. It's been sufficient."

Ian laid his head back and thought about what he had said. A memory came from him, unbidden.

"I remember this one time, we went on a picnic and it started raining. Mom tried to manipulate the air to shield us but her magic was too weak. Finally Dad just ended up whisking us away to a beach in Maui. We arrived cold and wet but the sun felt great."

Ian looked over to see Skulduggery tilting his head, he looked pensive.

"Your mother had weak magic?"

Ian shrugged. "She wasn't good with manipulating the air, her fire wasn't very strong."

"That can't be. I trained her myself. She could fly, you know. She always favored air magic." Skulduggery paused. "Are you finding the room to be okay?"

Ian wanted to talk more about his mother but he got the feeling that Skulduggery didn't like speaking about her.

"It's great, warm at least."

"My house is open to you for as long as you need it."

A sudden anger rose in Ian that he made no effort to quell. "Why? Because you loved our mother? Well, she loved our father. You don't even know us."

"You are just like her, the both of you. You are made for something greater. I have a whole house that I fill with empty space."

Ian frowned at him, not ready to speak of it until he wasn't so angry.

"I'm going to bed." He said flatly, Skulduggery raised his head as if to speak, but Ian was already turning, the door to their room closing with a soft click.

Ian woke gradually. He rose from his position sprawled out on the floor. A weight on his back told him that his sister had rolled off of the couch to land upon him in the night. He shrugged her off and she mumbled a condemnation.

Ian blinked as a figure in black detached itself from the wall.

"Gods, man!" He yelped, seeing Skulduggery jamming his hands into his pockets.

"I came to wake you and found that you made the most interesting picture; your sister drooling into your hair while you made your own puddle on the floor. The miracle of human sleep." Ian rubbed a wet spot in his hair ruefully.

"So, what, pray tell, oh great and powerful sorcerer, is the plan for today?" If Skulduggery was fazed by Ian's sarcasm, he didn't show it.

"Ian, Lily," Skulduggery spoke as if bracing the two of them for something. "Today, we're going to speak with an old friend of mine...she's told me something odd."

Ian couldn't stop himself. Dread unfurled in his belly but his mouth moved of its own volition.

"What did she tell you?"

"She told me that recently there have been sightings of a dark haired young woman. I was told that she wielded elemental magic and shadows alike."

"Wait," Ian said. Don't, he wanted to say.

"She was identified as Valkyrie Cain."

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So, this chapter was kind of an in-between. It has way too much dialogue for my tastes.


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